The Presidents Club

Once in a while our local librarian (and a former student) notifies me of the arrival of a new book she thinks I might enjoy. Thus I received a copy of The Presidents Club by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy. It's one of the most exclusive clubs in the world, usually boasting only six or fewer members. This club has only one requirement for membership: having served as President of the of the United States. I must admit I was a little skeptical at first. Another Washington political potboiler filled with rumor, speculation about motives and unsubstantiated so-call "facts". Not at all. The Presidents Club is a clear and well-written glimpse into the modern presidency. It's worth reading and rereading for its behind-the-scenes insights.
It all began with Harry Truman bringing Herbert Hoover back from the limbo of being assigned the entire blame for the Great Depression. Hoover was given the job of unscrambling the bureaucratic logjam block food aid to a hungry and war torn Europe after World War II. This was exactly the same service he had successfully performed for President Wilson after World War II. A working relationship and even friendship ensued between the two men that in spite of future up and downs among future presidents set up pattern for the "club." The authors proceeded to explore how the relationships between former chief executives of often very different ideologies and politics have shaped history. I found these relationships sometimes petty and even distasteful but quite often inspiring. That was particularly so in these ideologically rigid and highly polarized times.
The sourest note in the whole book for me was to learn what a truely amoral, even immoral man, Richard Nixon proved to be. This relates to the story of Nixon's actions during the '68 presidential campaign, his successful effort to kill President Johnson's desperate hope for talks in Paris to end the Vietnam war in 1968. And Humphrey's well intentioned but mistaken decision not to publicly incriminate Nixon as a traitor to his country. The vicious block thrown by Nixon and his henchmen, including the go-between, Madame Chenault, prolonged the war for seven years. LBJ, knowing from secret wiretaps, that Nixon, through Chenault, was double dealing, phoned Nixon and appealed to him not to endanger the peace effort. "Oh no, Mr. President, said Nixon to LBJ, I would never do anything like that." Thousands more Americans died in Vietnam in the succeeding years.

A Dead Duck

Meanwhile, the big story was happening in Embarrass, MN (where else!), where a distraught woman brought her pet, a very limp duck – an Aflac look-a-like – into a veterinary surgeon.The vet laid the pet on the table, then pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest.After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, "I'm sorry, your duck has passed away."The distressed woman wailed, "Are you sure?""Yes, I am sure. The duck is dead," replied the vet."How can you be so sure?" she protested. "I mean you haven't done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something."The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room.He returned a few minutes later with a black Labrador Retriever.As the duck's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck from top to bottom.He then looked up at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head.The vet patted the dog on the head and took it out of the room.A few minutes later he returned with a cat. The cat jumped on the table and also delicately sniffed the bird from head to foot. The cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly and strolled out of the room. The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck." The vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman.The duck's owner, still in shock, took the bill. "$550!" she cried. "$1550! – just to tell me my duck is dead!" The vet shrugged, "I'm sorry. If you had just taken my word for it, the bill would have been $20, but with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it's now $1550."And that’s the way it is!

btw... I'm off to the Mayo Clinic next week for some tests. Maybe I should bring Baron and Simba.... :)

Interviewing Mark Twain

Flyfishig today? Too windy. Birding today? Too windy. Tree limb trimming today? Too windy. Instead, today, I had time to reflect upon a recent conversation I had with well known author and humorist Mark Twain. I had met him during a recent trip to Dubuque, Iowa. Mark Twain wrote hundreds of comments about the nature and cause of humor. This quote reflects my own view.
"What is it that strikes a spark of humor from a man? It is the effort to throw off, to fight back the burden of grief that is laid on each one of us. In youth we don't feel it, but as we grow to manhood we find the burden on our shoulders. Humor? It is nature's effort to harmonize conditions. The further the pendulum swings out over woe the further it is bound to swing back over mirth." - Interview in New York World Sunday Magazine, November 26, 1905 Troutbirder - Actually, I’m from Minnesota, MarkMark Twain - I was there one winter a few years back and cold! If the thermometer had been an inch longer we'd all have frozen to death.
Troutbirder - It’s my birthday tomorrow and I must admit I’m feeling my age!Mark Twain - Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.Troutbirder - On a serious note you probably know that we have been fighting in Iraq for many years now because of their weapons of mass destruction and support of the Muslim terrorists. Mark Twain -Statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing falsities, and will diligently study them, and refuse to examine any refutations of them; and thus he will by and by convince himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep he enjoys after this process of grotesque self-deception.Troutbirder - But Sir, what about patriotism? Mark Twain - Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.

Also, after meeting him, Mrs Troutbirder pointed out - "I think we could have used a few more wise men in recent years like Mr. Twain'

Memorial Day

Memorial Day
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers:
For he today that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother
-SHAKESPEARE, HENRY V
It seemed fitting to finish reading this book here right before Memorial Day. Not a chronology or historical analysis of this oft written about war, instead O'Donnel has given us personal stories of the experiences of combat veterans in their own often reluctant words. Into The Rising Sun is the truth about this most brutal of wars in the American experience.
O'Donnel focuses on the elite troops who lead the way into the Pacific War. They were the Raiders, Paratroopers, Rangers, and Marauders. He writes that "the war remains a defining part of their lives. Refracted through memories that are now nearly sixty years old, a part of them is still in places they fought. They remember those who never returned. Some are still unable to talk about their experiences. Time and age have thinned their ranks. Every battalion or division has a newsletter that contain a roll of those who have passed, a list that grows longer with each month. The yearly reunions get smaller. But neither time no age can diminish their love for one another."
We honor their sacrifice with our loving rememberance on this and every Memorial Day

Two Americans: Truman, Eisenhower And A Dangerous World

I just finished reading Two Americans. It is a comparison of the origins and careers of two presidents from the middle of the 20th century. Truman and Eisenhower, an army officer and a politician in their fifties, they were unknown nationally when World War II began . With similar conservative small town middle American backgrounds, their knowledge of American society was heavily impacted by their careers. Eisenhower live an almost monastic life, sheltered from the hurly burly of every day contact with regular people by the army. Truman, in farming, business and then local politics knew people at that level. .
Distinguished historian Miller (President Lincoln: The Duty of a Statesman, 2008, etc.) offers lively, well-presented parallel biographies. The author is primarily interested in comparing the experiences of these two men as they rose through the ranks of their chosen professions, and their approaches to government as exemplified by several specific issues: McCarthyism, in which neither president distinguished himself; civil rights, in which Miller finds Eisenhower severely wanting despite his use of troops in Little Rock; and their attitudes toward the possible use of tactical and strategic nuclear weapons.
Miller delights in telling stories. And they are good stories about the greatness as well as the pettiness of two seemingly ordinary Americans vaulted by circumstances beyond their dreams, stories told affectionately with insight and sensitivity, messages ringing with relevance for us today. The author has a conversational and easy to read style. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book....

Peter Yarrow

Peter Yarrow (born May 31, 1938) is an American singer who found fame with the 1960s folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary. Yarrow co-wrote one of the group's most famous songs, "Puff, the Magic Dragon." He is also a political activist and has lent his support to causes that range from opposition to theVietnam War to the creation of Operation Respect. In 1962, the trio's first album, Peter, Paul & Mary was released. The album sold more than two million copies. The group toured extensively and recorded numerous albums, both live and in the studio. In October 1969, Yarrow married Mary Beth McCarthy of Willmar Minnesota. Paul wrote The Wedding Song (There is Love)" as his gift for their wedding and first performed it at St. Mary's Church in Willmar. He has two adult children. In 2000, he founded Operation Respect.
On behalf of Operation Respect, Yarrow has appeared, pro bono, in areas as diverse as Hong Kong, Vietnam, Bermuda, Croatia, South Africa, Egypt, Argentina and Canada. In all, the program has been presented to many educational leaders and more than 10 million children. In some form, the project has reached nearly a of all elementary and middle schools in America; at least 20,000 schools, in all.
Although Mary has left us from the effects of cancer, it was a special moment to be able to attend a Yarrow concert last Saturday night in Rochester Minnesota. The sense of love and community was still there and the music... oh the music. In contrast to the greed, arrogance and "me" of today one can’t help but wonder "where have all the flowers gone?"

Cain At Gettysburg by Ralph Peters

Gettysburg, the greatest battle ever fought in North America, saw two American armies slaughter each other at an unbelievable cost of human life and limb. Thousands of books have been written about it. Peters new novel, historically accurate, plumbs the human side from generals to common soldiers. It is carefully crafted by a skilled author who takes readers far beyond a mere non-fiction account of the battle. It makes you feel like you were really there on those fateful three days.
In his Author’s Note, Peters judges that "A novel about Gettysburg for our time must demonstrate war’s horror and appeal, while depicting the complex humanity of those who shoulder rifles or lead armies." In Cain at Gettysburg he clearly accomplishes that. In a different way this book surpasses the – until now – best-known, most widely read novel on the battle, Michael Shaara’s The Killer Angels (1974). That book written in the 70's era of particularly low esteem for all things military, provided a romanticism that was needed for a nation that seemingly had turned its back on the idea of heroes. Now we can read of the battle as it surely must have been experienced by those who fought it. In the course of the book, Peters "rehabilitates" several leaders such a George Meade, new commander of the Army of the Potamac, and "Old Pete" Longstreet who was Robert E. Lee’s top surviving General and repeatedly advised the Souths hero against a foolish frontal attack at Gettysburg.
For example, from J.D. Morelock in the magazine Armchair General, "Despite winning this major turning point battle – and thereby becoming the first Union general to beat the Army of the Potomac’s arch nemesis, Confederate General Robert E. Lee – Meade was much maligned by some self seeking Union generals jealous of his Gettysburg triumph and by, as Peters’ writes, "Southern chroniclers [who] could not forgive him for defeating Robert E. Lee in a fair fight." Peters’ insightful examination in Cain at Gettysburg of Meade’s character, the daunting challenges he faced when command of the Army of the Potomac was thrust upon him on the eve of the battle and his command of the battle reveals the true accomplishments of the Victor of Gettysburg. Peters’ final judgment of Meade in the novel’s Epilogue seems spot on:
"Fatally, [Meade] was not a political general and had little patience with newspapermen – with the result that he was damned by partisan scribblers or, when not attacked, ignored in favor of self-promoters and liars. The man who grasped the reins of an army literally overnight and saved the Union in the course of three desperate days of battle was demoted in the public mind to a drab second-rater, his victory credited to his subordinates. It was the worst injustice ever done to an American general."

Inferno

Inferno - The Epic Life and Death struggle Of The USS Franklin In World War II by Joseph A. Springer. In the early morning hour of March 19, 1945, just fifty-five miles south of Japan, a lone Japanese aircraft dropped from the clouds over the American fleet and trageted the aircraft carrier USS Franklin with a single bomb. "Big Ben" was about to become "the ship that wouldn't die," a nickname earned through fire and blood as she shuddered for an hour and a half under the explosions of her own ordnance that had been triggered by the bombing. Many of the crew not immediately killed in the explosions were blown overboard, driven off y fire, or wounded, a source of myriad heroic tales of survival. The officers and enlisted men left aboard the faltering ship (and those allowed to rejoin her later) were able to save her through sheer valor and tenacity. The enemy aircraft was shot down and disappeared into the sea, but Franklin remained afloat, against all odds and with casualties totaling 798 killed and more that 487 wounded - one of the most harrowing and amazing ordeals of any American carrier. This is her riveting story, from start to finish, in the eloquent and sometimes emotional words of the men who served aboard her.

I knew one of them Jim Erredge - AerM 1/c7 CV 13. He was a faculty member (adult agriculture) at the high school in Spring Valley, MN. where I began my teaching career. He was a member of the 704 Club. That is the number of sailors and airmen, out of a total of over 3,000, who managed to remain aboard the ship during the epic fight to keep it afloat. This is a great and telling book about naval warfare and that Greatest Generation who brought this country to victory in the Pacific War.

A Crooked Number

Ok rant first. Today eblog said it wouldn't work for me until I "upgraded" my browser preferably to Google something. I don't like being pushed and I don't like improvements that are required to make me technological updated and more complicated. Grrrrr. So now I've wasted hours and don't think this new system is any better...... I'm not a happy camper!

My latest reading is Nathan Jorgensons A Crooked Number. This is the authors third novel. Again he spins a unique powerful yarn about the human condition. A Crooked Number chronicles the relationship of freshman dental student Grant Thorson and Professor Kate Bellows. Jorgenson weaves the themes young love, graduate school, and amateur baseball into a rich and tender coming-of-age story. The novel begins when Grant is smitten with a beautiful professor and asks her out on a date - to a baseball game. It is the story of friendship, love, and all of those forks in the road that lead young people to the best part of their lives.

The book is a prequel to Waiting for White horses which I loved and reviewed here http://troutbirder.blogspot.com/2012/01/ waiting-for-white-horses.html. That book featured a bunch of endearing characters that hooked me right away. The fact that it centered on a venue Minnesotas great outdoors and hunting and fishing didn’t hurt either A Crooked Number features more things in common with my own experience such as my alma mater, the University of Minnesota and my favorite sport, baseball.

From a small town in northwestern Minnesota, Grants goes off the dental school at the University of Minnesota . There he met Kate Bellows a young beautiful intelligent and mysterious professor. "A Crooked Number" is about Grant Thorson, a boy who grows up on a farm outside Halstad, Minn., goes on to a successful career as a dentist and an equally satisfying hobby of playing "town ball" baseball played a by a bunch of men who can’t give up the game. In more modern parlance Grant is a really "sensitive" guy. Your know, the kind you find in "chick flics" and Victorian novel where he is the choice compared to the "bad" guy who the women doesn’t realize is bad. He is also somewhat of a jock and there is a lot of tasteless male banter (in my view, being the sensitive type myself...:) All in all it’s a fun and interesting book to read, just not quite as good as Waiting For White Horses.